


Nothing is Whole and Nothing is Broken

by FinneonJames



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Badass Kairi (Kingdom Hearts), Destiny Islands (Kingdom Hearts), Eventual Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Keyblade Wielder Kairi (Kingdom Hearts), POV Kairi (Kingdom Hearts)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:27:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25831330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FinneonJames/pseuds/FinneonJames
Summary: An AU where Sora takes Riku's hand when it's offered and they both give in to the darkness at the beginning of the game, so they wake up in Hollow Bastion together and start trying to find Kairi.Meanwhile, since both Riku and Sora give in to the darkness, the keyblade finds the next nearest worthy heart: Kairi's.
Kudos: 12





	Nothing is Whole and Nothing is Broken

Riku stood in front of Sora, gazing up at the storm. The storm which had somehow, miraculously, gathered just above the two of them: A whole sky's worth of storm concentrated into a ball just a few meters across. The power was too much for Sora to look at, but Riku looked up at it like it was his salvation. 

"Once we step through, we might not be able to come back," he was saying, as Sora looked on bewildered, "We may never see our parents again. There's no turning back, but this may be our only chance." He finally turned and locked eyes with Sora. "We can't let fear stop us. I'm not afraid of the darkness!"

Sora admired his friend but he was, at least a little, afraid of the darkness. And this darkness was more real, more tangible, than any he had ever known.

That was when he noticed--the darkness that had been pouring from the gathered storm was now pooling at Riku's feet.

"Riku..." Sora's mingled admiration and concern came out in a whisper as the pool of darkness began to climb his friend's body. Riku didn't try to get away from it. He stood resolute in the darkness and held out a hand, offering Sora comfort, support, and an invitation.

Sora watched the darkness climb Riku's waist and arms, threatening to envelop him, and knew his window to decide was closing. He squared his shoulders, set his jaw, and returned Riku's gaze.

Whatever happened, whatever any of this meant, Sora wouldn't let his friend face this darkness alone. He stepped forward into the swirling dark, now larger than both of them together, and took Riku's hand. Slowly, and then suddenly, they both sank together.

* * *

Kairi was lying in her bed daydreaming when the thunder started. At first it was a low rumble and Kairi amused herself by counting the seconds between the flash and the bang, keeping track of how far off the storm was. But she kept getting a shorter and shorter count as the storm closed in, and when she only counted two seconds between lightning and thunder she sat bolt upright.

"The raft!" She opened her window and started to climb out across the roof.

"Kairi? Dinner's ready, come on down!" Kairi could hear the mayor's household chef calling through the open window and hesitated for just a moment before climbing down the paopu tree that had helped her sneak out so often and bolting for her boat.

She got to the island before the worst of the storm hit and left her boat at the dock. As she ran across the beach toward the raft she had been building with her friends, she looked around the island for places she could bring it for shelter. She reached the raft and pushed it out into the shallows to make it easier to move, and guided it through the water until it was sheltered under the bridge to the outcrop island. She held the raft in place against the roiling waves as long as she could, but the water churned and the rain was coming in sideways. Somehow, the storm seemed to be gathering on just this spot. 

Kairi looked around frantically and saw the entrance to the secret place: a small cave she and her friends used to play in and draw on the walls. It was too small to bring the whole raft in, but she could at least protect the mast and sail; the rest would be easy to rebuild if she at least had that.

She quickly furled the sail and detached the mast, then carried it across the beach and into the tunnel leading to the larger cave. The relief of being out of the wind and rain and noise was so powerful that Kairi collapsed almost immediately against the cave wall, and didn't get up until she heard a voice coming from deeper inside the cave. It occurred to her that Sora or Riku might have had the same concern about the raft and come to the island too, and been forced into the shelter of the cave just as she had been. She got up and ran into the cave, calling out that it was okay, she had gotten the raft.

When she got to the secret place, however, she didn't find either of her friends. In a corner of the cave that usually had a mysterious door with no handle (Riku had always told her it had been put there by pirates to protect their treasure) there was now a figure in the shadowy, but open, doorway.

Kairi knew it was too late to hide from whoever this was; she had run in yelling about a raft.

"Wh- who are you?"

"This world has been connected. Tied to the darkness. Soon to be completely eclipsed." The words reverberated through the cave so that they seemed to be coming from everywhere, but Kairi couldn't look away from the figure in the doorway.

"Well, whoever you are, stop freakin' me out like this, huh?"

"You do not yet know what lies beyond the door."

It wasn't exactly an answer but it did tell her something.

"So, you're from another world?"

"There is so very much to learn, and you understand so little."

Now that made Kairi mad. She was a lot of things, but she wasn't stupid.

"Well, you'll see! I'm gonna get out and learn what's out there!"

"A meaningless effort. One who knows nothing can understand nothing."

The figure didn't give her time to respond, or even really get angry. As soon as it has spoken the whole cave began to shake. Rocks fell from the ceiling and the figure faded into the blackness of the shadows. Kairi stayed standing as long as she could and tried to follow the figure, but the wall had sealed itself back up.

She turned to face the cave and the shadows in the corners seemed to come alive. Creatures made of blackness and nothingness crawled toward her. She felt the cave wall at her back and a sudden weight in her hand. Looking down, she saw it was a sword, but also... a large key? The hilt was leather and comfortable to hold, and there was a large yellow guard protecting her hand. The blade, if you could call it that, was round and had what looked like the teeth of a key at the top. No part of it was sharp. But it was all she had. She swung at the creatures and sliced through them like a hot knife through butter. 

It wasn't long before all of the creatures were taken care of, but now the ground was shaking under her and the walls were coming apart. She only made it a few steps toward the mast before she fell unconscious. 


End file.
